Why the Forest Doesn’t Fear the Fire

A: It is generally agreed that plants do not have “awareness” in the conventional sense, since they lack a nervous system and a brain. But they do react to the damage a fire can inflict.

In Australia, for example, plants have evolved a variety of mechanisms that help them recover from brush fires. The eucalyptus has woody storage vessels called lignotubers that shelter tissues that can sprout after a fire.

Some plants, like banksia, release seeds out of woody capsules when heated, while others, including some orchids, flower after stimulation by a fire. Still other plants, like acacia, have seeds that germinate only after exposure to fire or smoke.

In California, too, a few species — including maple, aspen and pinegrass — sprout again after a fire from buds that grow at least partly protected under the soil line. Some pine trees have cones sealed by tar that open to release seeds only when a fire’s heat melts the tar. And as in Australia, some native species that produce seeds must be exposed to fire to germinate.